When news went round about the exhibition of the original Rembrandt etchings in the Cultural Center of the Royal Netherlands Embassy, the Erasmushuis, eyebrows were raised and questions were asked. Are the etchings of Rembrandt drawn and etched more than 300 years ago, during the time that the VOC (Dutch East India Company ruled here still relevant for the present day public of the Independent Indonesia? Will the public, so used to colorful abstract paintings be able to appreciate these colorless images, full of details?

However the attendance during the opening of the exhibition on the 4th of November dispelled all doubts. More than 200 people, young and old, from all walks of life came to listen to the introduction of Mr. J. Ter Molen Vice Director of Museum Boymans van Beuningen, who had come to Indonesia with the collection of his Museum. These 32 etches, all framed are now on display for the public.

They represent Rembrandt's finest works in this genre, grouped in different categories, portraits (including self-portraits), landscapes, bible and historical scenes and just studies and allegorical compositions. His talents are displayed here through the intricate technique of etching whereby a wax-coated copper plate is drawn on with a sharp etching needle. The application of acid onto the plate causes the image to form on the plate, which could then be used to make prints on paper. Rembrandt seemed to have liked this technique and has made as many as 350 different prints during his lifetime.

However, etchings was only part of his artistic expressions. Most well-known are his paintings, more voluminous in size and impressive. His Night watch is probably the most known of all and shows most his fascination with chiarroscuro, the light and darkness effect so often found in the paintings of that time. He could obtain this effect with his etchings because of the exceptional quality of his technique as is shown in the representation of the bible as described in the Gospel of Saint Matthew and of Dr. Faust in his study. He is said to have experimented endlessly with various kind of paper and ink and would add scratches to his etchings which he had finished to obtain the right effect and the perfection he aimed for.

Rembrandt was born in 1606 in Leyden, the Netherlands, where he grew up and then moved to Amsterdam, the business center, where most of the social activities were going on. He flourished here, because the Netherlands was entering the Golden Age and not only their business dealings in the Americas and Asia, but also their colonial territories. His paintings, drawings and etches shows that he had many prominent figures amongst his clients, who were eager to have their portraits painted.

However, prominent figures were not the only subjects of Rembrandts works, he also drew or etched the beggars in the streets, the peasants in the fields, often these people that have been disfigured by poverty and hard life. His landscapes are apparently moments of his reflections and withdrawal into nature, for they show a peaceful quietness after endless searching for form and detail in his drawings of human figures. Whatever he created they reflected most of all his keen observation, his emotions and above all his genius in expressing himself through his work.